I don’t know where summer went. Work has been busy and my creative time has been limited, but it’s still happening.
Mom Ceramics
My mom, who also does ceramics, visited last month and we attended a “Tile as Canvas” workshop where we learned techniques for painting with underglazes on both green and bisqueware. It was a blast!
In true ceramics fashion, the rusty-red underglaze completely burned out on my mom’s cow. I bought a set of Mayco underglazes and want to paint more scenes of Iceland.
In other ceramics news, I have eight little dishes in the Fine Things Storefront.
Bay Area Trip
I haven’t visited the Bay Area since moving to Portland over seven years ago. It was strange being back, but seeing old friends, going to museums, wandering through my favorite antique stores, and touching fabric at Stonemountain & Daughter was nice. And I got to see these incredible pieces by Sydney Hunter Kleinrock in person at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles.
BF Parker Pants
When this pattern first came out, I really had no interest in them. I guess I thought I didn’t need another elastic waist or barrel leg pant. I’m honestly unsure of where the inspiration came from to make them, but I’m glad I did. They are a solid pair of pants that have already been worn a lot.
I made a size E, which matches my waist and hip measurements and shortened the leg length by 2″. The fabric is Robert Kaufman 8 oz. black washed denim sourced from Modern Domestic. The fabric is wearing nicely.
Aside from looking at the seam allowance, I didn’t use the instructions for construction. The drawstring openings ended up lower than expected, so if I make again I’ll need to figure out why. I suspect my waistband attachment method or seam allowances differ from the instructions.
During lockdown, I ordered many rolls of elastic from WAWAK and some of them are far too sturdy for garments, yet I continue to use them. I should honestly replace it since I think it’s going to wear through this denim. It was an absolute pain to feed through the channel, so motivation to fix it is beyond low.
The waistline looks a little funky in the above image because I tacked down the elastic at the side seams to keep it from twisting in the wash. It’s entirely unnecessary since the elastic will not twist under any circumstance – it’s that sturdy.
I remade the drawstring since snapping these photos. I didn’t like the knotted end in the pattern and felt it was a little too narrow.
August Sweater
I’ve sort of been focused on knitting cardigans and (annoying) sleeveless things, so this straightforward, perfectly fitting raglan pullover has been a joy to knit. It’s the August Sweater by Ozetta and I’m knitting a size M, the size I always choose for her patterns.
I waffled on selecting a color – thought I’d go with the dusty petroleum blue in the product photos – and then I remembered someone on insta saying that KfO’s Blood Orange color was the best. I love an orange-y red and this one is indeed really good.
Bummer about KfO’s sale to private equity/holding company/whatever-the-fuck. Perhaps I shall buy another 9 skeins of it before it inevitably goes to shit.
More Helenes
After making this pair, I bought more of the same fabric to dupe my no longer fitting Rudy Jude jeans. I overestimated the necessary yardage for double fronts by enough to make a second pair of shorts.
On the first pair I used Mara 70 thread, which has since sunken into the denim so much it’s almost invisible. On these, I’m back to regular topstitching thread and much happier with its appearance.
In a never ending quest to make buttonholes that look like an industrial buttonhole machine made them, I used this technique for the button fly (regular keyhole buttonholes are on the left). After a bit of practice, they seemed like they’d be super easy to install on the waistband too. Alas that area will need more practice and I’ve kinda pooped out on finishing both of these pants. I’m hoping inspiration will return soon, as I’d really like to wear them!
And finally, I just wanted to show off some new art. I commissioned this incredible 12 year old artist to paint my baby and he nailed it. I also recently acquired this fun ceramic pencil from my former ceramics instructor.